The winter is a tough time for many, and finances can be stretched, especially after the holidays. Keeping your home warm also gets expensive at this time of the year, and some people have to make hard decisions around keeping the heating on.
However, there are a few things that you can do to keep your heating bills down. Follow the tips and stay cozy and warm this winter.
Draught Proofing
Most homes have a few areas where the heat can escape. There are those annoying little cracks and gaps around windows and doors where you can feel a draft when the wind blows. These should be checked before the onset of winter.
Caulking around stationary objects such as windows and door frames is a good solution. You can use weatherstripping for items that move like window sashes or doors. You can also use clear plastic wrap on the window frames, which can then be easily removed in the spring.
Curtains
If the sun is shining during the daytime, you should open your curtains and blinds to let in the free heat as the sun naturally warms your home. However, at night, be sure to close all of your curtains and blinds to retain that precious warmth! You could also consider purchasing heavier insulated curtains for winter use as an additional improvement.
Close Vents & Doors in Unused Rooms
If you have a rarely-used room, such as a guest room or storage room, this could be wasting heat energy during the winter. Close off all of the doors and vents to avoid heating an area that you don’t need to heat.
Space Heaters
To save some energy, turn your thermostat down. You can then use space heaters to keep rooms that are more occupied a little warmer. Modern space heaters that use halogen lamps are pretty efficient for heating small areas and this will save quite a bit of energy by not heating the whole house.
There are a couple of notes on this one: space heaters are not very efficient for heating an entire house, and you should make sure that doors are shut to keep in the heat.
Turn The The Thermostat Down at Night
You don’t need to keep the house as warm when you are in bed, as your bedding will keep you perfectly cozy. According to the Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% on your energy bill by turning the thermostat down to 10 – 15 degrees for eight hours each day. Most thermostats have timers, so you can set it to be nice and warm by the time you get up in the morning.
Circulate The Air
Warm air will collect at the ceiling. If you have ceiling fans, they usually have a setting to push air downwards, and this should help circulate warm air around more efficiently.
Long-Term Solutions
In the long term, you can heat your home more efficiently by having better insulation in the loft and walls and more effective double-glazed windows and doors. Perhaps the house you are in has too many rooms for you now or is just too old to bring up to modern efficiency standards.
If this sounds like it might be the case for you, you can enquire with Grand Homes by clicking here.
